Anna Shteynshleyger
Anna Shteynshleyger was born in Moscow, Russia in 1977. She emigrated from Moscow to out-of-town Maryland, US in 1992, speaking no English at all. Living next door to a public library and having a camera that her dad had bought for her had helped Shteynshleyger make sense of her new surroundings and cope with her isolation. In 1999, she completed a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her camera took the weight off of all she was unable to say in English. Her photography eventually landed her a spot at Yale’s well-known Master of Fine Arts program, completing a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from Yale University, in 2001. As a practising Orthodox Jew, Shteynshleyger believed “Art is a kind of religion, in a sense.”
She feels that her camera separates her from the world, allowing her to observe her backgrounds. Along with many photographers, Shteynshleyger observes and composes the world with the desire to connect with it. She wants her photography to perceive the real.
“I was attempting to edit the world by composing various elements and components within the frame. It is as childish as magical thinking. As if placing things on the ground glass of a camera
changes their status. As if reducing the world to two-dimensional flatness changes its impact on me."
Shteynshleyger takes exquisite photographs that capture the beauty and loneliness of the big and small. Seascape (2004-09) above is a close-up of a mattress, with its stuffing poking out of tears in its blue fabric, like foam on the top of the waves that appear to run across its surface. I think that the pictures I have selected from City Destiny (2004-2009) portrays Shteynshleyger’ feelings of being an outsider, disconnected from her surroundings. “Siberia” was Shteynshleygers’ first body of work. This body of work contains beautiful photographs of Siberia, capturing the natural beauty of its land. On the other hand, Shteynshleygers’ second body of work “City of Destiny” was more focused on both portraiture and still lifes, whereas “Siberia” simply contains photographs of its nature.
Shteynshleyger series City Destiny (2004-2009) consists of portraits, still lifes, interiors and landscapes photographed in numerous locations in Russia and the United States as shown below.
(blue bench) (seascape) (covered)
She feels that her camera separates her from the world, allowing her to observe her backgrounds. Along with many photographers, Shteynshleyger observes and composes the world with the desire to connect with it. She wants her photography to perceive the real.
“I was attempting to edit the world by composing various elements and components within the frame. It is as childish as magical thinking. As if placing things on the ground glass of a camera
changes their status. As if reducing the world to two-dimensional flatness changes its impact on me."
Shteynshleyger takes exquisite photographs that capture the beauty and loneliness of the big and small. Seascape (2004-09) above is a close-up of a mattress, with its stuffing poking out of tears in its blue fabric, like foam on the top of the waves that appear to run across its surface. I think that the pictures I have selected from City Destiny (2004-2009) portrays Shteynshleyger’ feelings of being an outsider, disconnected from her surroundings. “Siberia” was Shteynshleygers’ first body of work. This body of work contains beautiful photographs of Siberia, capturing the natural beauty of its land. On the other hand, Shteynshleygers’ second body of work “City of Destiny” was more focused on both portraiture and still lifes, whereas “Siberia” simply contains photographs of its nature.
Shteynshleyger series City Destiny (2004-2009) consists of portraits, still lifes, interiors and landscapes photographed in numerous locations in Russia and the United States as shown below.
(blue bench) (seascape) (covered)
Opinions of her work.
I feel that Shteynshleyger' work depicts distortion at its very best as she distorts subjects from the hidden environment along with themes of abandonment and tranquillity. Her work is more so simplistic in comparison to the other photographers I've researched, as it forces you to focus on the subject of the image, not the surroundings themselves.
I feel that Shteynshleyger' work depicts distortion at its very best as she distorts subjects from the hidden environment along with themes of abandonment and tranquillity. Her work is more so simplistic in comparison to the other photographers I've researched, as it forces you to focus on the subject of the image, not the surroundings themselves.